Our parasha contains a celebrated narrative passage that focuses upon the concept of teshuvah (repentance):

And you will return to the L-rd, your G-d (v’shavta od Hashem Elokecha), with all your heart and with all your soul, and you will listen to His voice according to all that I am commanding you this day, you and your children, then, the L-rd, your G-d, will bring back your exiles, and He will have mercy upon you. He will once again gather you from all the nations, where the L-rd, your G-d, had dispersed you. (Sefer Devarim 30:2-3, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)

The proclamation of the prophet Hoshea, that we read on Shabbat Shuvah, “Return, O Israel, to the L-rd your G-d (shuvah Yisrael od Hashem Elokecha), for you have stumbled in your iniquity,” (Sefer Hoshea 14:2), strongly parallels the language of the first verse in our Torah passage, “And you will return to the L-rd, your G-d (v’shavta od Hashem Elokecha).” The linguistic similarity of the expressions “v’shavta od Hashem Elokecha” and “shuvah Yisrael od Hashem Elokecha,” is nothing less than striking. It would seem, therefore, that they should share the same meaning. Yet, as we shall see, the overall context of each verse endows them with subtle, yet substantive, differences.

Why did not [Rabbi Levi] bring the Torah’s text, namely, the holy text we have before us [in our parasha] that states, “v’shavta od Hashem Elokecha?” It is clear from this verse that teshuvah reaches unto the very Throne of Honor, just as we find in the verse that he [Rabbi Levi] brings, “shuvah Yisrael od Hashem Elokecha.” In short, why did Rabbi Levi bring a verse from the Prophets instead of from the Torah?

The Yeshuot Ya’akov’s question is based upon the principle that a verse from the Torah is always a stronger proof text than a citation from either the Prophets or Writings. As such, his question is quite apropos. The Kedushat Tzion answers the Yeshuot Ya’akov’s query in a deeply insightful manner that facilitates our understanding of the multi-layered nature of teshuvah:

It is possible to answer [the Yeshuot Ya’akov’s question] in the following fashion: In truth, there are two kinds of teshuvah, teshuvah m’ahavah (teshuvah based upon love) and teshuvah m’yirah (teshuvah based upon awe and fear). The essential distinction that obtains between them is that teshuvah based upon awe is set into motion by something that generates the awe itself – such as potential punishment [for a sin] or something else that brings one to awe and visceral fear. Teshuvah m’ahavah, however, is different in kind and degree, for it is self-generated and devoid of any external cause. Instead, sparks of love burn in the innermost being of the Jew, and they, themselves, become transformed into flames of love for the Almighty. (Sefer Kedushat Tzion, Parashat Nitzavim, s.v. v’shavta, translation and textual notations my own)

After explicating these two distinct types of teshuvah, Rav Halberstam zatzal analyzes their differences in greater depth:

In reality, our Sages taught us (Talmud Bavli, Yoma 86b) that teshuvah m’ahavah has the unique ability to transform purposeful sins (zedonot) into, as it were, meritorious acts (zechuyot), whereas, teshuvah m’yirah can only convert zedonot into inadvertent sins (she’gagot). As such, there is nothing novel in stating that teshuvah m’ahavah reaches unto the very Throne of Honor, since any and all sins [addressed by this form of teshuvah] have been converted into zechuyot, and act as angels that rise [to the Heavens] to speak positively on our behalf before the Throne of Glory – just like all mitzvot and zechuyot whereby a person is guaranteed to acquire positive advocates [that speak on their behalf]. This does not happen to one who does teshuvah based upon awe and fear, since his sins continue to exist and remain as she’gagot. Nonetheless, even teshuvah m’yirah has the ability to ascend to the Throne of Glory.

Based upon this presentation, the Kedushat Tzion proceeds to answer the Yeshuot Ya’akov’s question:

Now we can understand why Rabbi Levi [in our above cited Gemara] brings the pasuk from Sefer Hoshea, instead of the Torah verse from our parasha: Our Torah portion’s pasuk states, “v’shavta od Hashem Elokecha,” i.e. without any external motivation, and this is the essence of teshuvah m’ahavah. Given its nature, it is manifestly clear that this kind of teshuvah reaches unto the Throne of Glory. Yet, our Sages of blessed memory wanted to prove that even teshuvah m’yirah has such great power that it, too, can reach the Throne of Glory. Therefore, the Gemara brings the pasuk, “shuvah Yisrael,” which is presented by Hashem’s messenger [Hoshea], for it was this prophet who arose and encouraged the Jewish people to undertake the teshuvah process. This is, [by definition,] teshuvah m’yirah, [rather than teshuvah m’ahavah]. Nonetheless, the text testifies that it, too, is powerful enough to reach unto the Almighty, Himself.

The Kedushat Tzion has provided us with a new and deeper understanding of the multifaceted nature of teshuvah, and its power and scope. Some of us will be fortunate enough to return to the Almighty through teshuvah m’ahavah, while others will follow the path of teshuvah m’yirah. In either case, we can rest assured that our teshuvah will ascend to the highest heights of Heaven – and unto the very Throne of Glory. May each of us recognize the chane v’chesed v’rachamim (grace, kindness and mercy) that this represents, so that we may wholeheartedly proclaim, “ashreinu mah tov chelkeinu u’mah na’im yerushatainu” (“We are overcome with joy at the goodness of our portion and the pleasantness of our inheritance.”) V’chane yihi ratzon.

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Viduima’aser (the Declaration Concerning Tithes) is a mitzvah that appears in our parasha:

When you have finished tithing all the tithes of your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give [them] to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, so that they can eat to satiety in your cities. Then you shall say before the L-rd, your G-d, “I have removed the holy [portion] from the house, and I have also given it to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, according to all Your commandment that You commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten [them].” (Sefer Devarim 26:12-13, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, underlining my own)

The Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) formulates our mitzvah in the following fashion:

The 131st mitzvah that we are commanded is to make a proclamation of the kindness G-d has bestowed upon us; and that we have separated the obligatory ma’asrot and terumot (types of tithes). We must verbally affirm our separation from them just as we have physically removed them from our premises. This [declaration] is called viduima’aser. The source of this commandment is G-d’s statement, “And you must declare before G-d your L-rd: ‘I have removed all the sacred portions from my house; I have given the appropriate ones to the Levite and to the orphan and widow....’” (Sefer HaMitzvot, 131, translation, Rabbi Reuven Bell, with my emendations and brackets)

In sum, according to the Rambam, vidui ma’aser is simultaneously an act of hakaret hatov (recognition of the good) that the Almighty has done for us, and a verbal review of the separation and distribution of the various tithes that we have performed.

The anonymous author of the 13th century work, Sefer HaChinuch, explains the underlying rationale of, “Then you shall say before the L-rd, your G-d,” in a novel manner:

At the root of the precept lies the point that the unique characteristic of man and the great element of his glory is the power of speech; in this he is superior to all [other] species of creatures. For as regards the other functions, other animals also behave as he does. For this reason, there are a great many people who are more fearful of desecrating their speech, which is the great element of distinction in them, than of sinning in action. (Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah 607, translation, Charles Wengrov, with my emendations)

While we are surely intrigued by this author’s analysis of the singular import of human speech, it is unclear as to how this contributes to an explication of the precept of vidui ma’aser. Fortunately, the Sefer HaChinuch builds upon this notion, and elucidates why the spoken act of “Then you shall say before the L-rd, your G-d” must take place:

Now, inasmuch as the manner of tithes and t’rumah is a great [important] thing… it was out of His kindness toward us, in order that we should not sin about them, to adjure us about them to separate them, and then not to have benefit from them through any action; and that we should attest about ourselves, with our mouth, at the Sanctuary that we were not deceitful about them and did not detain anything of them – all this in order that we should be most careful in the matter. (Ibid. underlining my own)

Fascinatingly, the explanations of both the Rambam and the Sefer HaChinuch focus upon Hashem’s kindness in conjunction with the obligation of verbal attestation of tithes. Maimonides interprets “the kindness G-d has bestowed upon us” in reference to the bounty of the fields. In contrast, the Sefer HaChinuch stresses Hashem’s kindness toward us, “in order that we should not sin about them, [the tithes].” Therefore, he initially underscores the uniqueness of human speech so that we may understand the crucial role of oral testimony in guarding the integrity of the tithes, which is the very purpose and fulfillment of this mitzvah.

The Sefer HaChinuch’s discussion of the extraordinary significance of human speech is reminiscent of Onkelos’ translation/explication of, “He [G-d] breathed into his [Adams’s] nostrils the soul of life, and man became a living soul,” (Sefer Bereishit 2:7) wherein he renders the expression, “and man became a living soul,” as “and man became a speaking being” (v’havat b’adam l’ruach m’mal’lah). In other words, for Onkelos, the distinctive marker that separates mankind from the rest of Creation is our ability to communicate through intelligently conceived speech.

I believe that the emphasis placed upon the significance and power of human speech by both Onkelos and the Sefer HaChinuch is particularly apropos for the month of Elul and the period of the Yamim Noraim. My suggestion is strongly supported by the “Al Chet” of Yom Kippur, wherein nine of the 44 statements are explicitly concerned with abusing the power of speech:

For the sin that we have sinned before You with the utterance of the lips.For the sin that we have sinned before You through speech.For the sin that we have sinned before You through insincere confession.For the sin that we have sinned before You through foolish speech.For the sin that we have sinned before You through impure lips.For the sin that we have sinned before You through evil talk.For the sin that we have sinned before You with the idle chatter of our lips.For the sin that we have sinned before You by gossip mongering.For the sin that we have sinned before You through vain oath-taking.(Translation, the Artscroll Machzor)

In my estimation, the Al Chet is incontrovertibly teaching us that with the great power of speech comes the equally great responsibility to control it, and use it wisely. We can either use speech for mitzvot such as vidui ma’aser, and as a vehicle of authentic communication with others, or for the panoply of sins that are listed in the Al Chet. Elul is a time when we make choices. With the Almighty’s help, and through our continuous efforts, may we choose to use the power of speech to serve Him, and to build a better world. V’chane yihi ratzon.

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Our parasha contains two instances in which the term, “zachor” (“remember”), is used, namely, Amalek’s attack and Miriam’s punishment. In Miriam’s case the Torah states:

Be cautious regarding the lesion of tzara’ath, to observe meticulously and you shall do according to all that the Levite priests instruct you; as I have commanded them, [so shall you] observe to do. Remember (zachor) what the L-rd, your G-d, did to Miriam on the way, when you went out of Egypt. (Sefer Devarim 24:8-9, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)

Rashi (1040-1105), in his midrashically-based comment on our second verse, suggests the following interpretation:

Remember what the L-rd, your G-d, did to Miriam: If you wish to take precautions against being stricken with tzara’ath, then do not speak lashon hara [slander, derogatory remarks]. Remember what was done to Miriam, who spoke against her brother [Moses] and was stricken with lesions [of tzara’ath].

Rashi’s language suggests that this is a narrative passage, rather than a declarative one. Therefore, “Remember what was done to Miriam” is not a command; instead, it is a statement of what will ensue if one speaks lashon hara.

The Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) disagrees with Rashi by intimating that Miriam did not actually speak lashon hara against her beloved brother. At the same time, however, he agrees with Rashi by viewing our verses as descriptive, and not prescriptive, in nature:

The Torah warns about this [i.e. tzara’ath], stating: “Take care with regard to a tzara’ath blemish.... Remember what G-d your L-rd did to Miriam.” Now, this is what the Torah is implying: Contemplate what happened to the prophetess Miriam. She spoke about her brother. She was older than he was; she had raised him; and she had endangered herself to save him from the sea. She did not speak pejoratively of him; [instead,] she merely erred in equating him with the other prophets. Moses did not object to any of this, as [the Torah] relates: “And the man Moses was exceedingly humble.” Nevertheless, she was immediately punished with tzara’ath. [Therefore, this will certainly be the case regarding those people who are not on her level]… (Mishneh Torah, Sefer Taharah Hilchot Tum’at Tzara’ath 16:10, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger with my underlining and emendations)

In stark contrast to the Rambam, the Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270), in his critical glosses on the Rambam’s Sefer Hamitzvot, opines that the words, “Remember (zachor) what the L-rd, your G-d, did to Miriam,” constitute a divine imperative that is included in the Taryag Mitzvot (613 Commandments). Moreover, Nachmanides follows Rashi, rather than Maimonides, by maintaining that Miriam did, in fact, speak lashon hara against her beloved brother:

The seventh positive commandment [that Maimonides “forgot” to include in his classification of the Taryag Mitzvot], which we are commanded to perform, is to remember (zachor) what the Holy One did to Miriam when she spoke against her brother. This must be done through oral recitations and imprinting Hashem’s action upon our minds. [We must remember that Miriam acted as she did] even though she was a prophetess, and had performed overwhelming kindness by saving him [from potentially drowning in the Nile River]. The purpose of this mitzvah is to distance us from lashon hara. (Critical Notes to Maimonides’Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Commandments Uncounted by Maimonides, number 7, translation and markings my own)

The Ramban believes that the Torah’s warning against speaking lashon hara is of such singular import that it outweighs the prohibition of publicly embarrassing otherwise righteous individuals who have committed a sin. Thus, he writes in his Commentary on the Torah:

[Just like there is a mitzvah to remember Amalek’s heinous actions,] so, too, in regards to Miriam, we are commanded to make her actions known to our children, and to speak of them throughout the generations. We must do this, even though it would have been proper to hide her behavior, since it is generally proscribed to speak negatively and embarrassingly about righteous individuals. The Torah, however, commanded us to make her actions known and to reveal them, in order to place the warning against lashon hara in “our mouths.” [This mandate was issued,] since lashon hara is such a great sin that causes overwhelming amounts of evil in the world – yet, people constantly fail [and fall prey to violating this prohibition]. (Sefer Devarim 25:17, translation and markings my own)

We are in the midst of Chodesh Elul, the time that is preeminently dedicated to introspective analysis. It is the period wherein we evaluate what we have accomplished and where we have fallen short. Perhaps most importantly, it is the time when we review the commitments we have made to Hashem, and those that we have unfortunately broken, so that we may rededicate ourselves to changing our conduct toward Him and others. As Nachmanides so powerfully notes, “lashon hara is a great sin that causes overwhelming amounts of evil in the world;” therefore, it surely demands our undivided attention as we approach the Yamim Noraim. Hopefully, with a deeper understanding of the underlying meaning of the pasuk, “Remember (zachor) what the L-rd, your G-d, did to Miriam on the way, when you went out of Egypt,” we will be in a better position to alter our manner of speech and remove lashon hara from our repertoire of behaviors.

Dovid Hamelech (King David) gave voice to this focus in two of the best-known pasukim in Sefer Tehillim: “Who is the man who desires life, who loves days to see goodness? Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceitfully.” (34:13-14) May our remembrance of Miriam’s punishment and heightened sensitivity help us cease speaking lashon hara, and may we thereby merit to be inscribed in the Sefer HaChaim (the Book of Life). V’chane yihi ratzon.

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Our parasha contains the pasuk (verse): “Be wholehearted (tamim) with the L-rd, your G-d.” (Sefer Devarim 18:13, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) This English version reflects Rashi’s (1040-1105) midrashically-based comment on our verse: “Conduct yourself with Him with simplicity and depend on Him, and do not inquire of the future; rather, accept whatever happens to you with [unadulterated] simplicity and then, you will be with Him and to His portion.”

In contrast to Rashi’s analysis, the approach of Onkelos (First Century C.E.) on our pasuk, and throughout the entirety of his Aramaic translation of the Torah, suggests a different connotation for tamim, namely, she’lim, or perfect and complete. Furthermore, while Rashi focuses upon a person being wholehearted with G-d, Onkelos emphasizes the proper manner that one must adopt in his approach toward the Creator: “Perfect and complete you shall be regarding the awe and fear you should have for the L-rd your G-d.”

At this juncture, whether we adopt Rashi’s or Onkelos’ explication of our pasuk, it is apropos to turn to a halachic investigation of “Be tamim with the L-rd, your G-d,” and examine its relationship to the Taryag Mitzvot (613 Commandments). As in nearly all matters of Jewish jurisprudence, there is a machloket (disagreement) as to the status of our verse, i.e., is it included or excluded from Taryag Mitzvot? In this instance, the major disputants are the Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) and the Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270).

Maimonides neither includes “Be tamim with the L-rd, your G-d” as a commandment in his Sefer HaMitzvot, nor offers any justification as to why this is so. Nachmanides, however, in his glosses on this work, suggests a rationale as to why Maimonides excluded our verse from the Taryag Mitzvot:Perhaps the master (i.e. the Rambam) thought that [“Be tamim with the L-rd, your G-d”] is a general command that incorporates all of the mitzvot in regards to the proper manner that one is obligated to walk on the paths of the Torah. [As such,] this matter is similar to the verse, “Praiseworthy are those whose way is perfect (temimei derech), who walk with the law of the L-rd.” (Sefer Tehillim 119:1) Therefore, he [i.e. Maimonides] did not bring this verse into his accounting [of the Taryag Mitzvot, since he clearly requires specificity regarding the mitzvah action to be performed, and not a meta-statement describing the ideal spiritual approach to serving the Almighty]. (Critical Notes to Maimonides’Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Commandments Uncounted by Maimonides, number 8, translation and markings my own)

As mentioned above, Nachmanides disagrees with Maimonides’ decision to exclude “Be tamim with the L-rd, your G-d” from the Taryag Mitzvot and, instead, includes it in this classification. He formulates the general parameters of this commandment in the following fashion:

The eighth mitzvah that we are commanded is for our hearts (i.e. minds) to be perfectly aligned with Him may He be blessed. And this is as it is stated in the Torah: “Be tamim with the L-rd, your G-d.” The essential matter of this command is that we should associate our hearts (minds) with Him alone, may He be blessed, and believe that He, and only He, performs all actions in the universe, and that He alone knows the truth as to what the future will bring. Moreover, it is solely from Him that we are allowed to ascertain the nature of future events, through the vehicle of his prophets, or His men of mercy – namely, through the Urim v’Tumim [under the direction of the kohan Hagadol]. As such, we are prohibited from seeking out soothsayers and their ilk, and we must never believe that their words will surely come to pass. (Critical Notes to Maimonides’Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Commandments Uncounted by Maimonides, number 8, translation and markings my own)

In sum, the Ramban maintains that “Be tamim with the L-rd, your G-d” is a constitutive element of the Taryag Mitzvot. In his view, this mitzvah mandates that we turn to the Creator and His earthly representatives for knowledge of forthcoming events. Concomitantly, we must eschew the words and visions of necromancers who purport to foretell the future through divinations. Thus, by turning solely to the Almighty, and by consciously rejecting the so-called prophecies of human oracles, we demonstrate our unmitigated allegiance to Hashem and live lives that are tamim with Him.

Rav Tzadok ha-Kohen Rabinowitz of Lublin (1823-1900) views our verse, “Be tamim with the L-rd, your G-d,” in a different light than the other commentators whose views we have examined. Rather than discussing the substantive content of, “be tamim,” he emphasizes the expression, “with the L-rd, your G-d,” as the modality through which one can attain temimut (perfection or completeness). Yet, how does one achieve the status of being “with the L-rd, your G-d?” In order to answer this question, Rav Tzadok quotes a pasuk from Sefer Shemot: “And you shall worship the L-rd, your G-d, and He will bless your food and your drink, and I will remove illness from your midst.” (23:25) He notes that the verse explicitly states, “I [Hashem] will remove illness from your midst,” and proceeds to metaphorically explain its import:

All of this [i.e. the removal of illness from our midst] does not take place by itself. Only Hashem, may He be blessed, has the ability to remove [illness]. This is similar in kind to a filthy garment – even though you soak it in water, the person who is washing it must scrub at it until he removes its grime. Nonetheless, without water the dirt will not be removed. (Likutei Mamarim, page 86, this and the subsequent passage, translation and markings my own)

According to Chazal (our Sages of blessed memory), water often symbolizes Torah. By way of illustration, Midrash Rabbah, Sefer Bereishit 24 explains the verse “And they [Joseph’s brothers] took him [Joseph] and cast him into the pit; now the pit was empty there was no water in it,” (Sefer Bereishit 37:24) in this fashion: “Rav Acha said … “there was no water in it” connotes that there were no words of Torah – which is allegorically referenced by the word “water.” Rav Tzadok follows this line of reasoning and states that the water he references in his parable is none other than Torah. Moreover, it is Torah that ultimately enables one to “Be tamim with the L-rd, your G-d:”

The reference to “water” specifically refers to divrei Torah [i.e. Halacha] and divrei Aggadah [non-halachic Torah subjects]. This is so, since through them, one may recognize He who spoke and thereby created the world, and, thereby, bask in the light of the face of the living King. [As such,] the Torah states: “Be tamim with the L-rd, your G-d,” [this means,] when one is with Hashem and His followers [i.e. Torah scholars], then he will be perfect and complete without any lack whatsoever.

When viewed from the widest perspective, our pasuk, “Be tamim with the L-rd, your G-d,” is ultimately urging us to fulfill the moral, ethical and spiritual charge issued by Hashem to Avraham Avinu (our Father Avraham) so long ago: “I am the Almighty G-d; walk before Me and be perfect (tamim).” This message is particularly apropos for the month of Elul, as we prepare ourselves for the Yamim Noraim (the Days of Awe) and the coming year. Like Avraham, may we, too, strive to strengthen our relationship with the Holy One blessed be He, so that we may serve Him in faithfulness, authenticity and temimut. V’chane yihi ratzon.

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